How aligned are you with your customers' expectations?

Many service providers do not allow users to do their own research. There can be an obvious disconnect between how users will want to buy your services, and what you think the sales funnel should look like.

What we consider to be important is:

• straight-forward pricing on websites
• the option to have a chat on the phone to discuss a product or service before discussing pricing
• most importantly: the option to see, understand and compare prices

The problem:

Unfortunately, for consultancy firms such as ourselves, this experience can be very time consuming. Our user experience is ‘personal’, tailored to the customer, and is what our clients value about us tremendously. Our transparent way of communicating and our way of dealing with their insights are key. We are knowledgeable about their services, companies and industries, but all of the communication we do happens in one-on-one sessions.

Transparency might be an important value to some companies, but this does not mean that the details of their services are available online. Indeed, service providers do not need to be as transparent as D2C-product brands and retailers. When it concerns those who sell products, there are many rules that need to be respected, such as providing clear information on the product cost, VAT and shipping. The same rules don’t apply to agencies or consultancies like ourselves.

Does this mean we are losing potential customers by not providing as much information?

In order to stay approachable, offering potential new clients a simple PDF-download in exchange for contact details could be beneficial. This way, they know what they are getting themselves into before talking to us, and we can—potentially—skip the ‘this is what our help costs’ dance. It would also allow them to form their own opinion without the interference of a sales team.

However, could this approach potentially damage the ‘personal’ way in which we normally work?